Maintenance of common green area in estate - landlord or tenant responsible?

D3PO

Lantus wrote: »

Resident association members should be comended and supported in whatever way you can. .

nobody is saying otherwise. That said residents associations have no right to ask anybody for money. Its one thing for them to pop a note in the door asking for donations, its quite another for them and many do to indicate that a fee of X amount needs to be paid.

A donation is just that and its quite rightly pointed out in this thread that neither the OP nor their landlord needs to pay.

A2LUE42

Local Authorities and what they cover when they take charge of a development varies from county to county. In Clare, for example, they will not take responsibility for grass cutting or landscaping. The costs of having this work done, by a responsible and insured company is substantial. In my area €40 per house is required to cover this cost for the year, based on the number of houses who contribute and all expenditure is documented and available. There is a grant available from the Council, which is due to be paid this month, but that only covers a small amount of the costs.

Ray Palmer

My understanding was the coucil will cover it if they have taken ownship of the common areas. The problem is many have not so it up to the owners to pay for this up keep. Council usual don't take ownsership until the building is completed by the developers.

Grass is going to be the least of the worries in a few years when the roads start need maintence.

Milk & Honey

Only members of the Residents Association have to pay. Anyone being persistent looking for money from a non member may be committing an offence under Section 11 of the Non fatal Offences Against the person Act 1997.
It may also be defamatory if they accuse a non member of owing money within the earshot of any third party.
If I was a tenant I would not join a residents association. I went to a residents association meeting once when I was a tenant and some householders there tried to sneer at me because I was renting.

Lantus

In reply to a few comments above: -

@D3PO & Milk & Honey

Resident associations are totally voluntary and as such all payments are as well. It's unlikley that being a member of one constitutes a legal requirement to pay unless a contract has been signed. We had a collection this year for our estate of which no one is a member and we had almost 90% payment from the estate as they knew the people collecting would work hard to make the estate a better place.

@ Ray Palmer

Taking in charge an estate adds an expense to a coucil as they pay for street lighting, drainage and road maintenence. (grass cutting is typically non existent nowadays, most councils have closed their parks departments years ago) Due to terrible planning laws however they dont have to worry about it as it's the developer that has to initiate the paperwork and often they are in no hurry to. Even when they do the council can delay and reject the application at their leisure. It's a tortuous process and not the benefot of the residents. Hence why most estates are waiting to be taken in charge. You really need to push your local coco and developer to get going with this.


There is a general problem looming in that there are a lot of estates build just pre boom that were done so on the premise of the coco cutting the grass but who as discussed no longer have any parks departments and are refusing to carry out and grounds maintanance. These estates can have upwards of 13 acres of grass areas (a huge area) and could potentially become reliant on the residents looking after it.

As there is no management company and no way of legally setting one up (who would sign a lease making them pay money every year even if it were feasible) these estates are now reliant on 'donations' to maintain a huge area of grass that they should never of been put in a position to do so. In reality you may only get 25-50% of an estate contributing so the rest get off scot free whole others pay for and give their time for nothing to maintain their estate. It's all wrong, another example of the shoddy, non existent planning laws that exist in this country.

D3PO

Lantus wrote: »

In reply to a few comments above: -

@D3PO & Milk & Honey

Resident associations are totally voluntary and as such all payments are as well. It's unlikley that being a member of one constitutes a legal requirement to pay unless a contract has been signed. We had a collection this year for our estate of which no one is a member and we had almost 90% payment from the estate as they knew the people collecting would work hard to make the estate a better place.

.

what exactly is your point. I said that you dont have to pay which you clearly agree with. Also dont assume all residents association behave like your one.

I have seen letters before where RA's have advised they will be sending a newsletter with the names of those who have "donated to thank them" this is nothing more than a ploy trying to shame those that havent paid.

That is disgusting behaviour, they have a cheek, and I can tell you thats mroe wisespread than you think.

Lantus

D3PO wrote: »

what exactly is your point. I said that you dont have to pay which you clearly agree with. Also dont assume all residents association behave like your one.

I have seen letters before where RA's have advised they will be sending a newsletter with the names of those who have "donated to thank them" this is nothing more than a ploy trying to shame those that havent paid.

That is disgusting behaviour, they have a cheek, and I can tell you thats mroe wisespread than you think.

It's cheeky but not disgusting. RA's provide an almost free service as it's typically all done on the good will of people volunteering. Often the same few people time after time to look after and maintain green areas and other services. They are doing it because no one esle will.

The fact that it is voluntary makes it so hard for RA's to raise funds at all, especially in the current climate. Even fundraising takes a lot of time and effort having done it myself which most people dont seem to realise.

A bit of cheeky encouragement isn't too bad. You'll often find that the folks who dont pay are at the front of meetings waving fists that nothing has been done at people who do a thankless job for free.

RA comittee members are true hero's..

Paulw

D3PO wrote: »

I said that you don't have to pay which you clearly agree with. Also don't assume all residents association behave like your one.

I have seen letters before where RA's have advised they will be sending a newsletter with the names of those who have "donated to thank them" this is nothing more than a ploy trying to shame those that haven't paid.

I have to agree here. There are many threads even just here on boards, where people are bullied by RA's, to raise funds. Threatened to be named on a list of those who haven't "donated".

Such actions are more than disgusting and disgraceful, but bordering on illegal.

Yes, RAs do a thankless job. They do want others are too lazy to do, or don't want to get involved in. But, that does not give them the right to bully and threaten people.

Lantus

Paulw wrote: »

I have to agree here. There are many threads even just here on boards, where people are bullied by RA's, to raise funds. Threatened to be named on a list of those who haven't "donated".

Such actions are more than disgusting and disgraceful, but bordering on illegal.

Yes, RAs do a thankless job. They do want others are too lazy to do, or don't want to get involved in. But, that does not give them the right to bully and threaten people.

How do they get names anyway?? Only if you give it out. Providing a name and address together isn't right if circulated to others. data protection violation me thinks.

Outkast_IRE

Its € 50 where i live aswell, its mostly pushed up by the fact that loads of houses wont pay even though you see their kids playing in the fields every day.
For renters unless you plan on being there long term and have kids using the green area i can see why you wouldnt want to pay .

JDxtra

You live there. If you want the place to be kept well, then feel free to contribute. If not, then just leave it.

Paulw

JDxtra wrote: »

You live there. If you want the place to be kept well, then feel free to contribute. If not, then just leave it.

Or just don't pay, since you have no obligation to pay anyway.

Victor

One council, I'm not sure was it Fingal or South Dublin have changed their grass cutting patterns. Some areas like large fields and meadows, they will only cut 1-3 times per year. Others, like play areas and sports pitches, they will cut every few weeks in the summer. This means they can do twice as much with the same resources.

Having variations in the grass means that you can have areas where younger children can "explore" while still within eyesight and give a more varied and richer landscape.

D3PO

Lantus wrote: »

A bit of cheeky encouragement isn't too bad. ..

yes it is because they have no right to any money. Its bordering on blackmail.

your perspective quite frankly is the same as most people in RA's which is one most people despise.